Nick Wey, the legendary and once-beloved Supercross racer, has retired again.
But there's more to the story. Much more.
Wey announced this week he's leaving Supercross to race competitively in the 2016 ATV MX National Championship series with the newly formed Team Hurricane. Not only that, he's also changed his first name to Noh.
Yes, Noh Wey.
That's his name, please don't wear it out.
"When I first retired, I got tired of people saying 'No way,' like no one had ever said that to me before," Wey said in an interview conducted from his couch. "I mean it got me thinking. I'm still young and I need to provide for my family. I really need to market myself. Thus Noh Wey was born."
Ironically, Wey's venture in quad riding started last year when he goofed around on an ATV during a photo shoot with other MotoSport riders. He loved it. Wey confessed his first go-around with retirement was actually a precursor to joining the ATV MX series which started last month.
"That was the plan, for sure. Join ATV MX," he said. "But, you know, things didn't get off to a great start. Funding fell through and the more people I told about my plans, again, the more I heard 'No way' So I started to believe it. No way I can do this."
Eventually, the racing bug bit and Wey wanted back on the track. So he did what he does best. Race dirt bikes. In a twist of fate, he returned to Supercross at Daytona for Round 10. Three days later the ATV MX Nationals held its opening round at the very same famed racetrack in Daytona.
"Yeah, no, I mean, we stuck around after Supercross and on Tuesday I decided to check out Round 1 of the ATV series," Wey said. "I was immediately struck with the intensity of the action. This is what I should be doing."
Wey returned to his Michigan home and began riding quads on his property after setting up a makeshift track. He quickly realized riding on four wheels was much different than two wheels. Not only that, after years of riding dirt bikes he was ill-prepared to handle what he described as a "leviathan."
"Have you ever tried to whip on a quad?" he asked rhetorically. "I mean, yeah, totally, those guys have a completely different skill set. I am in awe, you know? I had no idea what I was getting into but my mind was made up."
So, Wey embarked on the impossible: Be the first successful crossover from Supercross to ATV racing. He kept the plans secret by maintaining his facade in Supercross and trained for ATV MX in between races. Coincidentally, his next time out in Supercross at Toronto, he transferred to the Main, via his Semi race, where he finished 14th. In Detroit, he won the LCQ and took 15th in the Main.
"For sure there's something to training on quads," he said. "It really improved my form. Like, it's similar to baseball players who swing with a weight on their bat before heading to the plate."
The newly named Noh Wey races his final round of Monster Energy Supercross on Saturday in Santa Clara before heading to Kemp, TX for Round 2 of the ATV MX series.
"I mean, totally, you know this is an awesome opportunity for me and an exciting new adventure for my family," he said. "Noh Wey is going to take on a whole new meaning."
No way.
April Fools!